COLLEGEVILLE, MINN.—The No. 4 seed Hamline University men's basketball team upset top-seed Saint John's (Minn.) 83-80 behind Bradley Cimperman's three-pointer at the buzzer in the 2023-24 MIAC Tournament Semifinal in Collegeville on Thursday evening. The Pipers advance to the MIAC Tournament Championship Game for the second time in school history, where they'll face No. 3 seed Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter on Saturday, February 24 at 7 p.m.
Hamline improves to 17-10, while Saint John's drops to 20-6. The 17 wins marks the most in a single season by a Pipers squad since 1976-77, when they won 22 games.
Hamline's first ever appearance in the MIAC Tournament Championship Game was 1985.
Hamline 83, Saint John's 80
Eight of the game's nine lead changes occurred in a first half that saw both teams combine for a (.537) 29-of-54 field goal percentage en route to a 41-41 tie through 20:00.
Saint John's opened the second half with a 9-6 run that kept them in front 50-47 with 16:07 on the clock. This ignited Hamline, who responded with a 22-10 run capped by Bradley Cimperman's layup with 6:51 remaining, which gave them their largest lead of the game at 69-60.
The Johnnies swung back with a 20-11 run, which included Blake Berg's three-pointer with 00:04 on the clock that tied it 80-80.
But it was Bradley Cimperman who kept things at bay, scoring Hamline's final six points of the game that included three free throws, and a three pointer from the right wing at the buzzer that sealed an 83-80 victory.
The Pipers shot a season-high .566 (30-of-53) from the field, while their 83 points is the most allowed by the Johnnies this season.
Cimperman tallied 26 points and three steals, while Austin Holt had a double double 24 points and 12 rebounds along with four assists. Brendan Ebel added 12 points for Hamline.
Blake Berg notched a game-high 28 points for Saint John's.
